Journal box bucket hanger



July 22, 1947. J. H. MYERS Filed July 6, 1945 Patented July 22, 1947JOURNAL BOX BUCKET HANGER John H. Myers, Baton Rouge, La. ApplicationJuly 6, 1945, Serial No. 603,551

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a structurally novel and improved hangerbracket such as is constructed for permanent attachment to a bucket, andis characterized by means for quick and reliable attachment to aconventional journal box. More specifically, I have evolved and produceda simple, expedient and practicable hanger bracket for a sO-called dopebucket employed in connection with the step of cleaning, repacking andconditioning conventional journal boxes such as those employed onrailway cars.

By way of explanation, a dope bucket is almost any kind of'iron bucket,such as a fivegallon used and discarded paint bucket, and is used bytrain crews, shop men, car oilers, and the like, to contain waste andoil used in repacking freight and passenger car journals. 4

The general practice is to set the dope bucket on the ground near thejournal to be repacked. This is undesirable and objectionable for thefollowing reasons:

It is very seldom that suitable footing is available for the bucket torest upon, due to the shape and slant of the road bed, or by thecross-ties not being immediately under the journal box, on which to restthe dope bucket, and the presence of snow concealing the footing, orice, covering the footing and causing the dope bucket to slide downembankment or turn over. Then, too, the loss of eificiency of theworkman caused by the journal box packer having to turn aside in orderto carry the waste and oil from the bucket to the journal box is afurther factor to consider.

The principal object of repacking a railroad journal box is to removetherefrom all grit, gravel, cinders, worn metal and other foreignsubstances which cause journals to heat up, and which are generallyknown as hot boxes. These hot boxes are not only a source of wear onrailroad equipment, but are a source of expense and a frequent cause oftrain wrecks.

Under the prevailing practice, a car oiler or journal packer places adope bucket on the ground under the adverse conditions stated above, andvery frequently the bucket turns over, spilling the waste, packing andoil onto the ground. When it is retrieved by the attendant, it hasbecome impregnated with sand, ravel, cinders and other foreign matterwhich, if placed in the journal box, results in heating up the journaland nullifying the sole object and purpose of repackmg.

The objects and functions of this invention are as follows:

(1) It places and holds the dope bucket directly in front of the journalbox and directly in front of the packer, thus facilitating packing andsaving valuable time and labor.

(2) It prevents and eliminates any possible chance of foreign matterentering the journal box while repacking. v

(3) In the regular and periodical repacking of journals under thepractice heretofore followed, or in emergency repacking, a great deal ofreclaimable waste and oil is dragged out of the journal box and allowedto fall upon the ground, but with a dope bucket hung directly under thejournal box by this hanger, all of the waste and oil is collected andcan be renovated and reclaimed without an additional amount of grit anddirt getting into the old waste and oil as under the old practice, thusconstituting a great item of saving for loss of journal packing.

Other objects, features and advantages will become more readily apparentfrom the following description and the accompanying illustrativedrawing.

In the drawing, wherein like numerals are employed to designate likeparts throughout the views:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a car, or portionthereof, with a conventional journal box, illustrating the so-calleddope bucket and the special hanger bracket for suspending same from thejournal box.

Figure 2 is a perspective View of the bucket with the attached hangerbracket removed from the box.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the flat wrought iron blank or pattern fromwhich the hanger bracket is fashioned.

Referring now to the drawings by distinguishing reference characters, itwill be seen that A designates a fragmentary portion of a freight orpassenger car, the same being equipped with the conventional journal boxB with a hinged lid C and a flange D to accommodate the hanger andsuspension bracket E carried by the customary waste-oil or dope bucketF. Obviously, and as previously indicated, I am interested in thecombination of a bucket having means to fit on the conventional flangeD, and the particular means, that is, the hanger bracket E, whichaccomplishes this.

The bracket E is fashioned from a single fiat plate of wrought orequivalent iron or material and is characterized by a sector-shaped fiatledge or plate portion 5 having outstanding guard flanges 6 arrangedtransversely across opposite ends and also having a plurality ofV-shaped or equivalent attaching tongues 1 riveted to the body of thebucket as shown. These tongues I are on the curvate edge of the plate orledge while the members on the opposite edge thereof constitute atriple-prong hanger claw. That is to say, the two end prongs 8 are ofcorresponding construction and engage against the outer face of the boxflange D, while the remaining prong is somewhat wider and bent uponitself to form a retainin hook 9. Thus, we have a simple plate withflanges 6, attaching tongues I on one edge and retaining prongs formingan attaching claw on the opposite edge. The bracket is permanentlyattached to the bucket and therefore the bucket is conveniently attachedto and detached from the journal box, this in an' obvious manner.

A careful consideration of the foregoing description in conjunction withthe invention as illustrated in the drawings will enable the reader toobtain a clear understanding and impression of the alleged features ofmerit and novelty sufficient to clarify the construction of theinvention as hereinafter claimed. Minor changes in shape, size,materials and rearrangement of parts may be resorted to in actualpractice so long as no departure is made from the invention as claimed.

I claim:

1. As a new article of manufacture, a hanger bracket for a bucket of theclass described comprising a flat plate having transverse upstandingflanges at opposite marginal ends, provided along one longitudinal edgewith depending fingers for anchorage on a bucket, and, provided on theopposite longitudinal edge with a plurality of prongs, said prongs beingbent to form a clawlike gripping means for detachable connection with anexisting flange on a standard journal box.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a pre-cut blank plate for formationinto a hanger bracket of the class described comprising a flat plateportion, transverse bendable ends for formation of spaced parallelupstanding flanges, a plurality of longitudinally spaced bendableattaching tongues along one longitudinal edge, and a plurality ofbendable prongs alon the opposite longitudinal edge, said prongs beingfashioned to provide coacting detents in a multiple claw flange grip.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a hanger bracket for a dope bucketof the class described comprising a substantially sector-shaped flatplate having upstanding parallel guard, flanges arranged transverselyacross opposite ends, said plate having a plurality of V-shaped bucketattaching tongues, said tongues being on the curvate edge of the plateand being bent at right angles to the body portion of the plate, theopposite longitudinal edge of the plate being provided with a pluralityof prongs, the two end prongs being bent obliquely to the body of theplate and the intervening prong being bent into the form of a hook, saidend prongs and hook lending themselves adaptable to quick detachableconnection with an existing flange on a regulation journal box.

JOHN H. MYERS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,833,690 Penners Nov. 24, 19311,854,069 Rowe Apr. 12, 1932 802,861 Hetherington Oct. 24, 19052,349,691 'Amstutz May 23, 1944 755,432 Bainbridge Mar. 22, 19041,240,852 Israelson Sept. 25, 1917

